Advice wanted: buying a Noble

[PeterV]

First I would like to apologize for my English
Second, there might be other posts about this topic, but search is dead.

Currently I own a BMW E92 330i, but don't want to use it on the track.
But the track is calling me and I can't ignore it any longer...
I have wanted an Noble M12 since I lived in Surrey (in 2003 & 2004) and passed Mole Valley on a regular basis.
Combining the two, it's clear that the M12 would be the perfect solution.

There is very little knowledge over here about what to watch out for when shopping for a Noble.
I have seen a few in the classifieds, but how do you select one (apart from the color )
Is there a list of things to ask or inspect?

Thanks,

Peter

(edit: cleared typo)

Edited by PeterV on Wednesday 19th October 17:01

[andygtt]

for track you MUST have:
TDS (track day sump)
LSD (gearbox part)

if its an M400 it will have these as std... GT0 (2.5) will need to have been upgraded to these, GT03 usually didnt have these but many were upgraded, GT03r almost all had these but minority didnt.

To be hounest a lot of the cars that didnt have these have been upgraded however be aware if you do buy one without you must upgrade the car before you venture on track otherwise it will have an expensive breakdown.

Other than that buy on condition and look out for mods that you might want like Pro alloy intercooler, oil cooling, oil pressure/temp guage, remap etc etc.

what price band were you thinking of as its easier to advise.. ie 20k.. 20-30k, 30k plus?

[PeterV]

Thanks for the info.
I'm looking in the region of 20k to 25k.

[Blu3R]

Have you seen Metalman's car?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3124407.htm

Seems right up your street

[Metalman]

Blu3R said:

Have you seen Metalman's car?

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3124407.htm

Seems right up your street

[PeterV]

Hi Guys,

Metalman's car looks good, but it is at the top of my budget.
Because of the asking price & list of updates I'm currently most interested in worty's car and have contacted him.

Cheers, Pj

[worty]

Peter
YHM

worty

[PeterV]

This morning I returned from a small trip to see worty's car.
The m12 is quite to my liking, however...
Basically I drove about 1000 miles (Utrecht, Calais, Dover, Hull and vv.) to find out I'm a bit too high for the car.
Too bad it doesn't come with a shoe-horn
Others have had this problem and mentioned solutions like detachable steering wheels, and lowering the seat in the chassis frame.
So, i now 'only' have to find out how much extra room that will provide and at what cost.

Paul, thanks for the tour.

[Scooby P1]

Metalman said:

Definitely the best colour...lovely car!

[R0162]

I dont think you can lower the seat, its almost touching the floor pan as it is, in my experience tall people have no problem with leg/head room, its the getting in and out thats the problem, and taht is a problem for everybody,you gain technique over time for an elegant exit, i just roll out sideways onto the pavement.

[snuffy]

You must be pretty tall then ! I know people who own Esprits that are 6 foot and they manage okay and the Nob has more head room.

You may be able to remove the seat runners and bolt the seat directly to the floor. That would get you a couple of extra inches.

I, myself, have no such worries as, being a short arse, I have to have the seat fully forward and can only just manage to push the clutch in !

[Metalman]

Scooby P1 said:

Definitely the best colour...lovely car!

Back at ya!

I'm 6'3" and fit in the noble no probs, infact the seat could even go back a tad more. I also have a smaller steering wheel with a flat bit at the bottom which helps getting in and out, out of interest how tall are you?

[worty]

Peter is 6'6" and not small with it. As Clarkeson is 6'5" he was hoping that he'd be able to squeeze in. He could get in but it certainly didn't look comfortable and there'd be little chance of getting a crash helmet on. 1000 mile round trip to find out the cars not big enough must have been very disappointing. We managed to squeeze him into the passenger seat for a whiz around the block before he set off back to Holland.

The only thing I think he could do is to somehow lower the seat through the floor if that were possible or have a seat shell with no padding which sits directly onto the floor. A detachable steering wheel may help getting in and out.

Nice to meet you Peter and I hope you find a solution or another make of car that fits.

worty

Edited by worty on Sunday 30th October 21:28

[wessexrfc]

PeterV said:

This morning I returned from a small trip to see worty's car.
The m12 is quite to my liking, however...
Basically I drove about 1000 miles (Utrecht, Calais, Dover, Hull and vv.) to find out I'm a bit too high for the car.
Too bad it doesn't come with a shoe-horn
Others have had this problem and mentioned solutions like detachable steering wheels, and lowering the seat in the chassis frame.
So, i now 'only' have to find out how much extra room that will provide and at what cost.

Paul, thanks for the tour.

Hi Peter, I'm 6ft 5" you might have read my posts on space inside etc. I think Clarkson must have very long legs as my head is close to the roof. I've fitted a removable steering boss (from the States) to give more room for gear changes and room between knee and wheel. Removed foam which helps slightly when wearing a helmet, next will be to remove seat runners and bolt direct to the floor. This is fine if your the only driver. Hope this helps

[worty]

Paul

How much extra room do you think will be created by bolting the seat to the floor and won't you need to reinforce the floor?

worty

[andygtt]

Ultima do a lowered floor pan that basically goes 1inch below were our floor is... also their seats are more sloping in the back that gets your head lower.

I know the ultima seats fit, as I fitted Noble seats to my Ultima

[sjc]

I am 6'3" ( mostly in legs)and have made some adjustments in both Nobles I've owned had no problem in either.An extended boss on the steering wheel brings the wheel higher and closer to your natural arm position and allows plenty of knee room underneath. I also have the front of the seat tilted upwards by having washers bolted underneath,giving a bit more thigh support and allowing my legs to bend slightly.A friend of mine who has sat in a dozen or so and who is 6'5", says mine is the only Noble the he's sat in that he could actually envisage being properly comfortable.
You should have no problem witha few alterations

[wessexrfc]

worty said:

Paul

How much extra room do you think will be created by bolting the seat to the floor and won't you need to reinforce the floor?

worty

Not sure to be honest, think around 15-20 mm. Kevin has bolted his seat to the floor so it can be done. As far as reinforcing again not sure. One day I'll get the seat out and have a better look. Tilting back is also on the list. With mine I have kept the foam under the knee area and when wearing my helmet I can remove the base foam and fold over the front under the knee.

[PeterV]

wessexrfc said:

Hi Peter, I'm 6ft 5" you might have read my posts on space inside etc. I think Clarkson must have very long legs as my head is close to the roof. I've fitted a removable steering boss (from the States) to give more room for gear changes and room between knee and wheel. Removed foam which helps slightly when wearing a helmet, next will be to remove seat runners and bolt direct to the floor. This is fine if your the only driver. Hope this helps

Thanks guys for all the replies.

How much space did you gain by removing the foam?
If I get the seat directly bolted onto a lowered floor and remove the foam, would that add up to 2"?
Some guys will do anything for 2" extra, but I need to loose them

[snuffy]

PeterV said:

Some guys will do anything for 2" extra, but I need to loose them

You mean double it ?